ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Finance Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah Friday proposed to establish a port at Keti Bandar as a special terminal for the export of coal which would be mined at Thar as well as a rail link and Special Economic Zone to support the proposed port.
He said this while presenting the case of the Sindh government during the Parliamentary Committee on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which met here under the chairmanship of Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed.
The Finance Minister of Sindh was deputed by the Sind Chief Minister to represent the Sindh government and present the perspective of Sind regarding CPEC issues before the Parliamentary Committee, on the invitation of Senator Mushahid Hussain when he met the Chief Minister Sind in Karachi on January, 28.
The members of the Parliamentary Committee welcomed the presence of the Sind Minister for Finance and Senator Mushahid Hussain directed the Ministry of Ports and Shipping to have consultation between the experts of the Sindh government to examine the feasibility of this project so that Thar could become the future energy power house of Pakistan.
The Committee also discussed the perspective of Sindh regarding issues of Port Qasim.
There are issues of registration of land which is claimed by the Sindh government and which is being utilized for the Port Qasim coal project.
After hearing both sides, Senator Mushahid Hussain directed the Ministry of Water and Power, Ministry of Ports and Shipping and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to have substantive and speedy discussions with the government of Sind to resolve this issue, first at the working level and then the recommendations of the working level meetings would be taken up at higher level under the auspices of Parliamentary Committee.
These meetings will be concluded by the month of March.
On the issue of the Sukhi Kenari hydel power project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee constituted a two-member sub-committee comprising Senator Lt.
Gen. (R) Salahuddin Tirmizi and Senator Shibli Faraz to coordinate both with the provincial and federal government to resolve the issue at the earliest, with meetings scheduled for early March.
The Sindh Finance Minister strongly urged the government to convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) so that outstanding issues and concerns of Sind and the other provinces are discussed and decided at that apex forum.
The Sindh Government representatives thanked the Parliamentary Committee for inviting them for their perspective.
The meeting decided that in March, the representatives of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be invited to present their perspective on CPEC issues.
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks for the chair.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Port and Shipping, Kamran Micheal, Secretary Water and Chairman, Port Qasim.
Source: APP
